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| 2 Bukhari hadiths

418
It was narrated from Abu Hurayrah that the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “Do you see this qiblah of mine here? By Allah, your khushu‘ [proper focus and humility] and your bowing are not hidden from me, for indeed I see you behind my back.”.

Commentary : Khushu‘ (proper focus and humility) forms the essence of prayer; by means of khushu‘ the worshipper will be calm and unhurried in his prayer, and will turn more wholeheartedly to Allah (may He be glorified). The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) taught the Muslims the etiquette of prayer and what is most important when praying, so that their prayer might be perfected.
In this hadith, Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) asked his companions: “Do you see this qiblah of mine here?” This is a question objecting to what they might think when he is facing towards the qiblah. In other words: do you think that I do not see what you do, because my qiblah is in this direction, and the one who faces towards something turns his back towards what is behind him. Then the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) explained that what he could see was not limited to one direction; he swore by Allah that he could see who was focusing properly in his prayer, and who was not, behind him. His intention in saying that was to urge them to focus properly, with humility, and bow properly in the prayer. What his words “for indeed I see you behind my back” meant was that Allah (may He be exalted) had created in him the ability to see those who were standing behind him. This is something that was unique to him, and he was able to see them in a real sense, which was something extraordinary. He was also granted other extraordinary abilities apart from this, and that is not contrary to rational thinking or to any religious text; rather there are religious texts that confirm that, and we must believe in it.
It may be that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) saw them through what was revealed to him about their actions and how they performed the prayer, because seeing may mean knowing and believing.
What he meant when he said that was: Focus properly in the prayer, with humility, and do the essential parts thereof properly, as if I am watching you and directing you to do it correctly, for I see your actions in prayer behind me when I am standing and leading you in prayer and you are behind me, just as I see you when I am looking at you in front of me.
This hadith is one of the proofs of the prophethood of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him)..

419
It was narrated that Anas ibn Malik said: The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) led us in prayer, then he ascended the minbar and said regarding the prayer and bowing: “Indeed I can see you behind me as I see you [now].”.

Commentary : Khushu‘ (proper focus and humility) form the essence of prayer; by means of khushu‘ the worshipper will be calm and unhurried in his prayer, and will turn more wholeheartedly to Allah (may He be glorified). The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) taught the Muslims the etiquette of prayer and what is most important when praying, so that their prayer might be perfected.
In this hadith, Anas ibn Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) led them in prayer, then he ascended the minbar and spoke regarding the prayer and bowing, meaning that he exhorted them with regard to the prayer and bowing. He singled out bowing for mention, even though it is included in the prayer, because he wanted to pay extra attention to it, either because it is the greatest of the essential parts of the prayer, based on the fact that if a latecomer to a congregational prayer catches up with bowing, he has caught up with that entire rak‘ah, or because he knew that they were falling short in bowing, so he mentioned it in order to highlight their shortcomings in it. Then he said: “Indeed I can see you behind me as I see you [now].” This was one of his miracles and unique characteristics, and one of the proofs of his prophethood. What is meant is that Allah (may He be exalted) had created in him the ability to know what was happening behind him, and his seeing meant knowing in a true sense what was happening, by extraordinary means. The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) was granted many extraordinary feats and events in addition to this, and nothing in that is contrary to rational thinking or religious texts, rather the religious texts speak of such miracles and extraordinary events, so we must believe in them.
It may be that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) saw them through what was revealed to him about their actions and how they performed the prayer, because seeing may mean knowing and believing.
What he meant when he said that was: Focus properly in the prayer, with humility, and bow and do the essential parts thereof properly, as if I am watching you and directing you to do it correctly, for I see your actions in prayer behind me when I am standing and leading you in prayer and you are behind me, just as I see you when I am looking at you in front of me.
This hadith urges us to offer the prayer in the manner enjoined by Allah (may He be glorified and exalted).
It is also one of the proofs of the prophethood of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him)..

420
It was narrated from ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar that the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) held a race between horses that had been made lean, starting from al-Hafya’ and ending at Thaniyyat al-Wada‘, and another race between horses that had not been made lean, starting from Thaniyyat al-Wada‘ and ending at the mosque of Banu Zurayq. ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar was one of those who took part in these races..

Commentary : The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) prescribed for his companions (may Allah be pleased with them) that by means of which they could attain some pleasures of this world and would also have a good impact on their faith and their hereafter. In this hadith, ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) held a race between horses that had been made lean, which means that they were fed until they grew fat and strong, then their feed was reduced, giving them just enough to survive, and they were put in an enclosed space and covered with blankets until they became hot and sweated. Then when the sweat dried, their flesh would be reduced and they would be able to run fast. The course of the race began at al-Hafya’, which is a place near Madinah, to the west of Mount Uhud, and ended at Thaniyyat al-Wada‘; a thaniyyah is a path through the mountains, and it was called Thaniyyat al-Wada‘ [lit. the mountain pass of farewell] because when someone departed from Madinah, his family would take him to that mountain pass, then they would bid farewell to him in that place, and go back home. Between Thaniyyat al-Wada‘ and al-Hafya’ there is a distance of five miles or more (approximately 8 km). He also held a race between heavy horses that had not been made lean, from Thaniyyat al-Wada‘ to the mosque of Banu Zurayq, who were a tribe of the Ansar. The mosque was named after them by way of describing which mosque it was, not that they owned it. Between Thaniyyat al-Wada‘ and the mosque of Banu Zurayq there was a distance of one kilometre. ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) was one of those who took part in these horse races.
This hadith indicates that it is valid to attribute a mosque to the one who built it or the one who prays in it, and to name it after him, and that it is valid to attribute righteous deeds to their doers.
It indicates that it is permissible to make horses lean and to train them to run, preparing them to make the word of Allah (may He be exalted) supreme and to support His religion.
It indicates that it is permissible to make animals go hungry for a good purpose, not by way of cruelty.
It indicates that it is essential to state the distance and the length of the course in horse races..

421
It was narrated that Anas ibn Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) said: Some wealth from al-Bahrain was brought to the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) and he said: “Display it in the mosque.” It was the largest amount of wealth ever brought to the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him). The Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) came out to pray, and he did not pay any attention to it. When he had finished the prayer, he sat by it, and he did not see anyone but he gave him something. Then al-‘Abbas came to him and said: O Messenger of Allah, give me something, for I paid ransom for myself and for ‘Aqil. The Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said to him: “Take.” So he scooped up some wealth into his garment, then he tried to lift it, but he could not. He said: O Messenger of Allah, tell someone to lift it up for me. He said: “No.” He said: Then lift it up onto me yourself. He said: “No.” So he reduced it, then he tried to lift it up, and he said: O Messenger of Allah, tell someone to lift it up onto me. He said: “No.” He said: Then lift it up onto me yourself. He said: “No.” Then he reduced it some more, then he lifted it up onto his back, and left. The Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) kept watching him until he disappeared from our view, because he was astonished at how much he wanted to have of it. And the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) did not leave until there was not even a single dirham left of it..

Commentary : The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) warned his ummah against accumulating worldly gains, and said that those who acquire a great deal of wealth in this world will be those among the people who have the least share of reward on the Day of Resurrection, except those who pay what is due on wealth [i.e., zakah and charity]. The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) was the least interested of people in worldly gains.
In this hadith, Anas ibn Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the wealth of al-Bahrain – meaning the land tax [kharaj] that was imposed on the Magians of Hajar, which was a region in the land of al-Bahrain – was brought by Abu ‘Ubaydah ibn al-Jarrah (may Allah be pleased with him); it had been sent by al-‘Ala’ ibn al-Hadrami from al-Bahrain. The total amount was eighty thousand dirhams. The name al-Bahrain in ancient times referred to the region that now includes [the island of] Bahrain, al-Ahsa’ and al-Qatif, in the eastern part of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) instructed his companions to display that wealth in the mosque; this wealth was the largest amount that had been brought to the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him). The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) came out to pray without paying any attention to it or looking at it, in order to show his companions (may Allah be pleased with them) that wealth was not something to be concerned about, and it should not distract one from prayer and faith. When he had finished his prayer, he sat, and he did not see anyone but he gave him some of that wealth. Then al-‘Abbas ibn ‘Abdul Muttalib (may Allah be pleased with him), the paternal uncle of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), came to him and said: Give me something, for I ransomed myself and ‘Aqil – meaning that he had paid the ransom for himself and for ‘Aqil ibn Abi Talib when they were taken prisoner on the day of Badr. It was said that he paid a ransom of eighty uqiyahs of gold, or that he paid one thousand dinars. What he meant was that the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) should compensate him for the wealth that he had lost.
The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “Take.” So al-‘Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) scooped up a great deal with his hands, and placed it in his garment. Then he tried to lift it up, but he was not able to do so. So he told the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) to instruct one of those present to lift it up onto him so that he could carry it. But the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) refused to instruct anyone to do that. So al-‘Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) told the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) to lift it up onto him himself, but the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) refused to do that. Al-‘Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) threw some of it aside, so that he would be able to carry it, then he tried to lift it but he was not able to do so. He told the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) to instruct someone to lift it up onto him, but he refused, and he also refused to lift it onto him himself. So al-‘Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) put back some more of it, then he lifted it onto his back – the Arabic word translated here as back refers to the part of the back between the shoulders – then he left. The Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) kept watching him until he went away and disappeared from view. The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) was astonished at how keen al-‘Abbas was to acquire wealth. The only reason he did not instruct anyone to lift the wealth onto al-‘Abbas’s back was – and Allah knows best –that he wanted to deter this eagerness to take too much wealth that al-‘Abbas demonstrated, and so that he would not take more than he needed of worldly gains, and would limit himself to what was sufficient for him, as he himself used to do.
The Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) did not get up and leave until he had shared out all the wealth, and not a single dirham of it was left. This was his usual habit.
This hadith indicates that the wealth of al-fay’ [booty seized without fighting] may be given to both rich and poor.
It highlights how the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) looked down on worldly gains and glamour, no matter how great they were.
It indicates that one may be astonished at the eagerness of someone who is keen to acquire wealth and to acquire a great deal of it.
It indicates that it is permissible to share out fay’ in the mosque, and to put it in the mosque..

422
It was narrated from Ishaq ibn ‘Abdillah ibn Abi Talhah that he heard Anas say: I found the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) in the mosque, and some people were with him. I stood there and he said to me: “Did Abu Talhah send you?” I said: Yes. He said: “[Is he inviting me] to eat?” I said: Yes. He said to those who were with him: “Let’s go!” He set out, and I set out ahead of them..

Commentary : This text is an abridgement of a lengthy hadith the authenticity of which is agreed upon. During the battle of al-Khandaq, the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) and his companions (may Allah be pleased with them) suffered greatly from hunger and exhaustion, to the extent that that showed in the voice of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), as it sounded weak. Abu Talhah (may Allah be pleased with him) sensed hunger in the voice of the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him). He told his wife Umm Sulaym (may Allah be pleased with her) that the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) was hungry, and asked her whether she had any food. She brought out some baked loaves of barley flour, then she brought out a scarf and put the bread together and wrapped it in the scarf. Anas ibn Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) – whose mother was Umm Sulaym – said: Then she tucked it under my arm, to hide it, and sent me to the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him). Umm Sulaym (may Allah be pleased with her) did what she did because there was so little bread and food. The apparent meaning of that report indicates that she sent the food to the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him). In other reports in al-Sahihayn, it says that she prepared food, and Abu Talhah (may Allah be pleased with him) sent Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) to the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) to invite him to come and eat some of that food. Perhaps this version is in harmony with the text, and perhaps the story of offering food to the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) happened on two separate occasions.
Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) went to the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), and found him sitting in the mosque with his companions. He stood waiting for the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) to be alone, so that he could give him the bread, because it was not enough for his companions. When the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) saw him standing there, he said to him: “Did Abu Talhah send you?” Anas replied: Yes. The Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “[Is he inviting me] to eat?” Anas said: Yes. This was one of his miracles and a sign of his prophethood, that he told Anas why he had come before Anas even spoke. Abu Talhah’s full name was Zayd ibn Sahl al-Ansari, one of the leaders who had been present at the pledge of al-‘Aqabah; he was the husband of the mother of Anas (may Allah be pleased with them all).
The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) brought his companions to the house of Abu Talhah (may Allah be pleased with him) to eat with him, because they were very hungry and exhausted. This is an example of the Prophet’s etiquette and kind treatment of his companions, as he did not keep that invitation to himself; rather the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) brought them to eat with Abu Talhah even though his food was little, because he knew that it would be sufficient for all of them, by virtue of his barakah and what Allah (may He be exalted) had granted uniquely to him of honour and virtue. This was another sign of his prophethood.
The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) set out, along with his companions, and Anas was walking quickly ahead of them, to bring this news to Abu Talhah. So he came to him and told him, and Abu Talhah told his wife Umm Sulaym about the news, and that they did not have enough food for the companions of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him). Umm Sulaym referred the matter to Allah, which is indicative of her strong faith and religious commitment. Abu Talhah went out to welcome the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), then they came in to where Umm Sulaym was. The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “O Umm Sulaym, bring me what you have”, asking her to bring to him what she had of bread. When she brought it, the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) instructed that it be broken into pieces, then Umm Sulaym squeezed a round leather vessel of ghee and honey over the bread, like a condiment. Then the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said whatever he wanted to say concerning it, and he offered supplication that the food be blessed. Then the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said to Abu Talhah: “Give permission to ten men to come in.” That was because the place was not big enough to hold all the people. Permission was given to them, and they came and ate until they were full, then they left. Then the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “Give permission to another ten to come in.” And it carried on like that until all the people – of whom there were seventy or eighty men – had eaten their fill, by the blessing of the supplication of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him).
In this hadith, we see that if someone is invited to a meal and knows that the host will not mind if he brings someone else with him, and that the food will be sufficient, then there is nothing wrong with him bringing that other person with him.  .